The National Palace Museum (NPM) boasts a rich collection of officially compiled rare books and historical documents, high-quality medical texts passed down by the Qing court, rare books obtained by scholars during their visits to Japan in the late-Qing dynasty, and antiquarian books purchased by and donated to the NPM over the years. These texts are precious resources demonstrating the combination of traditional medical knowledge and innovative applications.

Special exhibition Traditional Chinese Medical Texts on Life, Health and Longevity in the Collection of the National Palace Museum is divided into eight sections, which are "The Beginning of Life," "The Human Body in Perspective," "The History of Disease," "Treating External Symptoms," "Medical Recipes and Prescriptions," "Religion and Medicine," "Cultivating Health and Longevity," and "Medicine and the State." Rare medical texts, documents, calligraphy, paintings, and artifacts from the Museum's collection are exhibited in this special exhibition to demonstrate the development of traditional Chinese medical scholarship and its interactions with human lives, diseases, religions, and institutions and to show the mutual influence between Chinese, Japanese, and Korean medicine. Visitors are invited to explore the traditional ways to healing and health; to reflect upon modern views of life and medicine; and to appreciate the essence of leading a long and healthy life.